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More than a piece of metal

Last Updated 22 February 2015, 13:37 IST

A lot of history has been uncovered with the help of coins. The carvings, dates or symbols on them make them more than just a piece of metal. Collecting and cherishing these ‘pieces of history’ is Airesh Bhat, an eleventh grade student of AECS Magnolia Maaruti PU College, who feels that coins are a rare work of art.

Airesh, who developed a passion for collecting coins from his sister, now has a collection of more than 200 unique coins from across the globe.


“I developed an interest in coin collection thanks to my sister. When I was in school,
I would trade coins with my friends. The coins that were traded were of the same
value. For instance, a Hong Kong dollar is lesser than the US dollar. So one has to exchange more coins of a Hong Kong dollar to get one US dollar. This trading business was very interesting in school and kept us engrossed,” says Airesh.

This also helped him gain a lot of information on different currencies and countries. “I got many of my coins from my cousins and grandparents too. The collection that started out as an interest has now become a passion and the coins never fail to fascinate me,” he says. He adds, “My dad travels a lot and gets me rare foreign coins that add a lot of value to my collection.”

Old Indian pies, annas, coins from Canada, USA, England, Kuwait and the list goes on.
 “I am delighted every time I take a look at these coins. The different shapes, engravings and dates...they all bewitch me. In fact, it is because of these aspects of a coin that I started collecting them. As a school boy, collecting them gave me a sense of satisfaction and made me happy. I feel I have had a great childhood thanks to these rare pieces,” he says.

He has silver, copper and brass coins too; even pieces dating back to Edward VI and Queen Elizabeth’s regime.

 “I have coins from different countries. But the old Indian coins have remained my favourite. They are so uniquely crafted and the carvings of kings and queens talk a lot about the rich culture and history of our country,” he says.

The passionate numismatist also reads up on coins whenever he can. “My coin collection has helped me learn more about the history of different countries. It has given me the knowledge of different currencies. Even the economic status of a country can be studied with the help of these coins,” he says.

“The collection has helped me build my skills and I will definitely continue to collect these unique pieces. I want to collect more and more coins as they are my priced possession and I will always embrace them,” he wraps up.

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(Published 22 February 2015, 13:37 IST)

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